Netflix And Chill: The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

It's all well and good to dismiss Mel Gibson nowadays, and I certainly wouldn't force anyone to check out any of his movies if they have been disgusted by some of his rants and behaviour over the past couple of decades, but it's also interesting to revisit some of his major features, now that we know even more about what wildfires have occasionally raged across the surface of his brain.

I watched The Passion Of The Christ many years ago, back when it was first available for home viewing, and my one takeaway from that experience was how bored it made me. It shows us the last few hours in the life of Jesus Christ (played by Jim Caviezel), which makes it an experience filled with pain and bloodshed. I think I remember people complaining about it being a Jesus-centric slice of torture porn, but I was unimpressed by the choices made when it came to what we saw onscreen.

This revisit left me similarly cold on the thing, especially when you consider how many people who claim to follow the teachings of Jesus would be the ones denying his power and turning to some flashy false idol instead. Personal faith is a wonderful thing, as I have said many times before, but organised religion seems to be used more as a baton to hurt and keep down others. Just look at . . . well, almost everyone in America today who claims to be Christian. Having also worked with Benedict Fitzgerald on the screenplay, director Gibson clearly equates this religious tale/lesson with the idea of pain and penance being as important to the heart of things as love and kindness. The entire film is a shock tactic, a reminder of what was sacrificed, and it's admirable that he made something that somehow managed to appeal to a great number of people who would be disgusted by this kind of content in any non-religious film. Despite being both R-rated and subtitled, this was massively successful at the box office, proving how well Gibson knew how to sell his vision to like-minded fans.

The cast don't get much wiggle room though, of course, and Caviezel is an actor I have come to like less and less throughout the years. He has always seemed far too self-serious and limited in his abilities, an image that this role does nothing to dispel. Most of the performance is felt through the special effects, and the many moments that Caviezel cries out in pain. Maia Morgenstern is okay in the role of Mary, and Monica Bellucci doesn't get enough to do as Magdalen, but there are good moments for both Mattia Sbragia and Hristo Naumov Shopov, as, respectively, Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate. Rosalinda Celentano also makes a strong impression as Satan. Maybe it's a point of interest that Satan still gets some of the best moments in a film about Jesus.

It's hard to fault the film, technically, with Gibson making great use of a relatively low budget to tell the story (one or two flashbacks allow us to see a pre-persecuted Jesus doing some good deeds) and a lush score from John Debney accompanying the visuals, but it's hard to think of this as something that people will choose to revisit. Other religious films may not be as faithful, and they may not be as graphic in their depiction of what Jesus went through, but not every church-goer wants to spend a couple of hours being presented with so much torture and pain (not outwith a passionate sermon anyway). Sometimes they just want to enjoy a stellar cast holding your attention for over 4 hours in The Greatest Story Ever Told. I think I might also prefer that. So I already know what I am lining up to watch next Easter.

4/10

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Escape Plan (2013)

You don't watch a movie starring Sylvester Stallone, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, and expect logic and common sense to be the top priorities. I get that, I really do. But Escape Plan, which stars both men in lead roles, is even sillier and full of plot holes than it needs to be. It's so careless that the enjoyment factor is slightly ruined.

Stallone plays Ray Breslin, a man who can escape from pretty much any prison that's been designed. He's so good at it that he's made it his job. He gets incarcerated, under a false identity. He gets out. The prison gets a report that details the weaknesses in their security. When he's offered a bumper fee, Ray allows himself to be grabbed and thrown into another prison. This time, however, things are even tougher than usual. His colleagues have no idea where he is, the prison warden (Jim Caviezel) knows of his reputation and wants to make sure that he doesn't leave, and the prison is full of transparent cells, making for a much tougher challenge. The only plus point comes in the unlikely form of a prisoner named Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger).

Directed by Mikael Hafstrom, and written by Miles Chapman and Jason Keller, this is a film that really could have had anyone behind the camera. There doesn't seem to be any individual style stamped on the thing. That's fine, however, because everything is geared towards getting Sly and Arnie working together onscreen, and that is often enough to carry the whole thing along. Yes, the two worked together on The Expendables movies, but this time around they get to do more than reel off one-liners and cash in on nostalgia.

Both of the leading men are great. They've still got it when it comes to delivering the action. I've never been a fan of Jim Caviezel - I can't think of a leading man with less charisma in the past couple of decades (well, maybe Edward Burns, but that's it) - and, while he does slightly better than usual here, this is another performance that hasn't converted me. It's a part that's crying out for Eric Roberts, of course, and Caviezel sure as hell ain't no Roberts. Faran Tahir does just fine with his part, another prisoner who ends up being important to the grand plan, and Sam Neill is great as the prison doctor, a man who tries to do his job without thinking of the bigger picture. Vincent D'onofrio, Amy Ryan and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson also do well as Sly's colleagues.

Escape Plan is entertaining. It doesn't require too much concentration, the cast have fun and you will root for Sly to win the day. It's a shame, then, that everything wasn't just tightened up ever so slightly. The details revealed to viewers that are supposed to make you think "aaahhhhhhhhh, very smart" just end up highlighting the fact that it all hinges on good fortune and other characters being blind, stupid, or both. The fact that there isn't even one great set-piece is another disappointment.

You'll be able to watch and enjoy this movie, but I don't think it's one that will end up being revisited all that much. Disposable fun, boosted by the charismatic leads.

6/10

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